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Lilithia Emberfall
=Physical Description= *Garments/Armor: Lilithia wears a pair of crossing leather straps on her face which cover her eye sockets at all times; these have no special markings and are carefully covered by her hair. Though possessing several outfits, she prefers long, light robes, often cutting and tearing the edges of the fabric to allow threads to stream behind her, imitating the clothes of a banshee. *Other: Sweet perfumes and oils radiate off her body. She keeps herself cleaner and better-kept than most of her kind, bathing regularly and quickly mending any wounds on her body. Were it not for her face straps, razor claws, and pale complexion, she would be mistakeable for a mortal. Careful examination of her may reveal the secret to her healthier appearance, however, as blood on her skin and clothes from her latest kill often goes unnoticed, though sometimes flaunted. =Personality= Lilithia constantly seeks power and control. While practiced at carefully masking her intents, she does little without a purpose, and says few words without a motive. Over time she has come to preach the doctrine of the "Dark" (see Paradigma and Azeroth), believing that she must take, manipulate, and control as much as possible. She seeks these things in order to fulfill her part in the "balance of existence" by bringing order through domination. This gives her a very self-centered view of the world, seeing all things as potential tools to be exploited. In battle, Lilithia is brutal and sadistic, finding great joy in such work. She highly enjoys murder, seeing the taking of another's life as "the most intimate act two may share." She often consumes her victims, not only to sustain her body, but to also feel closer to the ones she has killed. She views undeath as a gift, granting her immortality--infinite time to see her plots to fruition. When encountering other undead she encourages them to cast aside past lives and focus on the future, believing the undead's time as living creatures to be a meaningless second in an existence which shall last for eons. Because of their immortality, Lilithia sees the undead as superior to mortals and dreams of a day when the "ascended" shall guide the world. When not feeding her lusts for domination, the kinder, more mortal side of her personality may slip through her defenses. Such thoughts are often quickly repressed. She avoids conversation about her pre-death past as much as possible. =History= Childhood in Dalaran Many of the Undead were chosen by chance. The hated few were willing. Lilithia Elianas was born on May 13 of 588 to Coranasus and Lindly Emberfall, a fire mage house of moderate influence in the city of Dalaran. As middle child to her talented brothers Adalandier and Harmiscus, Lilithia found herself under constant scrutiny. Thrown into the Dalaran Academy at the age of fourteen, the neophyte mage had great expectations to live up to; Harmiscus was near graduation with full honors and the younger Adalandier already showed a powerful magic aptitude. Her parents silently drew comparisons between the three children, hinting of their disappointment with the girl as the years passed and her skills progressed much slower than other students'. At the turn of Lilithia’s twentieth birthday her parents gave an ultimatum: graduate to her next class tier by the end of her next year, or prepare for a domestic life with a chosen suitor. For one year she studied harder than ever before, living her life near exclusively within the great Dalaran libraries--though she learned more of the words and theories and less the actual skills. With a little less than one month before her finals her will broke, the worries and stress sending her into a deep depression. Locked in her dormitory for days, Lilithia reflected on why she strove for the power of a mage. As her mind turned to her parents, their proud legacy, and the brothers she yearned to best, a small card slipped beneath her door. On the paper was a neatly calligraphied address, an invitation to studies for the "gifted," and an ornate stamp in dark purple dye. She stared at the paper as the thoughts of her impending failure--in classes as well as her parents’ eyes--began to overwhelm her mind. What did the meaning of the card matter? If the invitation was a trap and she died at the hands of some twisted soul, she would be no worse than before. She dashed out the door for the first carriage to Caer Darrow. Over the following weeks the sweetest lies and paradoxes were fed to the young mage: a cleansing of injustice and pain; a world of powerful individuals, yet where all could be equal; a glorious unity, with her as a harbinger. She eagerly accepted their preaching in order to gain access to the arts the instructors displayed. As the weeks passed she gradually missed more of her Dalaran classes, studying at the manor of Scholomance. They called themselves damned--by money, society, or simple bad luck--and strove to bring equality and strength to the world. As they channeled fel energies into Lilithia she was told that a time and place would be given to reveal their crusade; however, she cared little for the cause, seeking only to gain more power. She took naturally to the necromantic and demonic magics, giving her newfound abilities. Her Dalaran finals were easily passed, impressing her professors with techniques few had witnessed before, and raising a suspicious eyebrow or two. The faculty as a whole suspected little, however, more pleased with her newfound aptitude in what appeared to be the Arcane arts than fearful of her sudden flux in power. The fel energies gave her the small boost she needed to study and progress. Her fate was not in the Dalaran classrooms, however. Transformation The day’s activity was perfecting the Immolation technique. After studying for several years in the Cult of the Damned’s school, Lilithia had been found quite skilled with the fel magics required to induce any sort of flame or combustion. She easily warped Arcane skills with demonic forces, and took joy in any chance to practice her talents. The school’s resources grew with their student body and subsequent donations, allowing the occasional use of a live test subject. The students filed into the main lab. Their eyes scanned over the chained, writhing bodies they were to practice with. The instructor eased Lilithia aside as she passed through the door, leading her away from the group and to a corner operating table. The cloaked figure spoke with a devilish grin shining from beneath his hood and presented the man on the table with a wave of a hand. The girl froze in horror. Her eyes locked with those of Adalandier, her little brother. The neophyte tried to burn the young man as quick as possible, but her skills faltered. She watched the tears roll down his cheeks, evaporating on his skin as the flesh peeled and cracked. By her failing of will, his suffering was prolonged. Through the chorus of screams from the basement of the manor she heard only one, and it cried her name. When his eyes vanished into ash she fell to her knees, trembling, weeping, and adding her wails to the cacophony. The instructor’s laugh pealed through the room as she became mad with grief. She tore at her hair and flesh with frenzied teeth and nails, mixing blood and tears. Adalandier’s eyes haunted her from every face in the room. Unable to bear the illusions, her fingers plunged through flesh and into her skull, removing their faces from her sight. Lilithia lay bloodied on the stone floor, her life fading. The instructor slipped a small vial between her lips, pouring the contents down her throat. She slowly stood. Homecoming The voices praised her, encouraging practice and growth on her new, tainted path. They taught her to utilize her experience in fel and the Arcane in order to see through empty sockets. She did not weep for a test subject again, and took sadistic pleasure in each kill. Word spread within the school of her penchant to find the most creative and painful methods to mutilate her test subjects. She no longer attended Dalaran classes, confined to Scholomance by an obvious lack of her once shining blue eyes. Each night, when the sun fell, she would leave the school, hunting in the streets of Caer Darrow to satisfy her cannibalistic hungers. Her power grew, and her body was slowly changed by the energies she channeled, lengthening her nails to long, daggered claws and sharpening her teeth. She welcomed these changes, viewing herself as something greater than a mere human and feeding upon the mortals of the island town like cattle. Power beyond her imagination was within her grasp, and she carried her twisted self with pride. Several months passed without her return to Dalaran. Though corrupted by the Lich King, a part of her mind still sought her parents' approval. She donned a black cloak and hood, covering her face with cloth and hair, and set off to her parents' estate in the mage capitol. The guards were alert that night, but through careful suppression of her power she was able to slip through the lamp-lit streets and enter the Emberfall household. Her parents rose from the dinner table upon hearing her voice chime through the halls. Harmiscus leapt from his desk and flew down the stairs, cheering and smiling. The four converged in the entry hall with open arms, prepared to join as a family once more. Her mother's scream halted their embrace. The two men of the house stepped back, the once due to Lindly's terror, the second spring from the cool hands and claws that trailed down their backs. Attempts were made to explain herself--her disappearance, the cool body, the deformities, the loss of the young Adalandier, and the great new power she had found. Tears and pleas. Cries and shouting. Accusations, and a floor spattered with tears. No number of words could calm them, no reasoning could provide solace to the living. Before them stood an abomination, and they made their opinion clear. Lilithia paused, and dropped her face to the floor. The three quietly stood there, her mother on her knees with anguish. There was nothing left to say, and all of them knew it. They could never live with this, she reasoned. They would be better... off.... And then, she knew what to do. What started as ill-conceived mercy killing quickly turned to bloodlust. Piece by piece, the last living members of the Emberfall house met their deaths. Lilithia tore through each like an animal, strewing their remains about the rooms. There was no voice in her mind. No command. Over twenty years of sorrow, frustration, and anger were released through the creature that stalked the house. Just before sunrise the building burst into flame. The last of the Emberfall line dashed out of the city, dead but running. A Second Rebirth The Lich King found no trouble in convincing Lilithia to serve in his army. Though racked with grief, she was readily open to suggestions that her only path was through the Scourge, and was promised a kingdom of undeath. She happily accepted the lies, desperate for guidance. She joined in the conquest of Stratholme and Andorhal. In Lordaeron, she was instrumental in the slaughter of Smith's District, obliterating nearly twenty families with her fiery hand. She remained stationed in Tirisfal through much of the war, leading raiding groups to flush out and destroy remaining resistance to the Scourge. As a faithful summoner, she actively practiced necromantic horrors and called forth hideous creatures from the Twisting Nether. With Illidan's attack weakening the Lich King's control over his undead minions, the suggestions of servitude and slaughter began to fade from Lilithia's mind. She stole away from the Scourge camp one night, only to be caught by a group of undead calling themselves the Forsaken. After a rigorous interrogation, her captors extracted the information they sought and, upon realizing her free will, welcomed her into their rebel ranks. However, Lilithia was quickly 'requested' to join several other ex-Scourge summoners and lieutenants in a meeting with the Dark Lady, Sylvanas. The group was deemed dangerous due to their close involvement with the Scourge, but potentially too powerful to waste. Using her fading banshee abilities, the Dark Lady invaded and shattered the memories of all in the room. Lilithia awoke to the sound of her name within a crypt in the small hamlet of Deathknell. For days she writhed in agony, readjusting to the pain which wracked her body. She relearned how to read and write through the epitaphs and memorial plaques throughout the crypt. The pains of her body faded into a white noise--constant, but gradually familiar and less noticed. Slowly, she found the urge to discover the outside world. Rebuilding Upon exiting the crypt Lilithia was immediately armed, drafted by the Forsaken, and thrown into battle against the undead kingdom's enemies. The amnesiac warlock quickly rediscovered her destructive spells and the familiar thrill of battle. Her first week of reawakening was spent in Tirisfal, beating away the shambles of the Scourge armies she had once helped conquer the region. Lilithia was spared realizations of these first ironies, however, as recollections of her existence beyond a handful of days previous were hazy, at best. Her first trip into Orgrimmar altered her personality for the better. A casual conversation with a single troll in a dirt clearing in front of the orcs' bank grew into a small crowd. A guild was established from the group and Lilithia was named "Legate" (the highest ranking title) of the newborn Ragefury Legion. There she discovered Kurimatsu, Makakii, and Okoth, her first friends. Her new troll allies instilled within her an appreciation for the natural wonders of the world, giving her a brighter disposition than many of her kindred. The three also encouraged a hedonistic lifestyle, an 'upbringing' which later ceaselessly conflicted with her ideals of aestheticism. The pleasure-seeking philosophies of her friends and her position within the Ragefury began to reawaken her greed for power. The guild grew from a small mercenary group to an army capable of exerting control over regions, supporting her reemerging philosophies of taking whatever, whenever possible and dominating all she could. During this time she began researching beyond her warlock studies, seeking to discover the intricacies of every magic form, as well as slowly regaining the memories of her past. She used the Ragefury as a tool to practice her developing ideas of the universe; ultimately, she was unable to effectively direct the army to her will and resigned her position. To spread her ideals Lilithia formed an underground group, the Order of Powers, shortly after her departure from the Ragefury Legion. The organization was dissolved months later when several projects and members under its direction critically threatened to expose the secretive guild. As the group disbanded Lilithia resolved that her personal power and knowledge had to grow before she could effectively exert it upon others. She entered a mercenary and exploration group, Warcry, as a standard member, seeking chances to enter locations filled with powerful artifacts and otherwise-unreachable magics. Having spent a year in such dangerous places and several months on an expedition into the Outlands, Lilithia returned to Azeroth and established herself in Silvermoon City. The blood elf capital reminded her of Dalaran, and there she found familiarity in the city's luxurious, magic-drenched, power-hungry population. Comfortable in the company of the magic-addicted elves (seeing them as more ambitious than many of her kind), hired the Grey Tiger Tong to retrieve her old family's house papers, deeds, and other legal documents from the archives of Dalaran. After filling out several forms, she applied for House Emberfall to be recognized as a guild until the courts of Silvermoon would recognize her as the heir to the Emberfall name and reestablish her house in the city's political structure. Being an active individual, Lilithia spent little time living in the city and pressing the issue of her house's reestablishment before finding herself drawn to the Outlands once again. Her experiments to find a solution to the blood elf's magical addiction required her to find a source of magical energy that was potent in small quantities. Dragging her companion and student, Bereave, along with her, Lilithia made a sudden journey to Shadowmoon Valley to seek out a source in the fel-tainted landscape. She left hardly a word of her departure, leading to rumors of scenarios from kidnappings, to cleansing by the Light, to her final death. She returned to civilization four months later with a "cure" to the blood elf's suffering: Glowtabs. Lilithia quickly rebuilt her house's ranks, and began rebuilding her case for House Emberfall's acceptance by the Silvermoon courts. Using her loyal group of deviants, social mal-adepts, and power-hungry for political might, brute force, and manufacturing and distribution of her magic pills, Lilithia now seeks to become a controlling figure in Silvermoon politics, and the Horde, in turn. Category:Order of Powers =Notes= *Out of shame for the atrocities she committed against her family, and fear of others knowing her once willing participation in the Cult of the Damned, Lilithia keeps much of her pre-death life a secret. She never speaks of her family, and avoids conversation regarding her past. As of the present, she has only hinted at her checkered past to Kurimatsu. She would likely seek to silence any other source claiming to know her history. *Lilithia was engaged to Limduul. Though her fiancé disappeared many months ago, she still keeps the engagement ring she gave him on her person at all times. *Lilithia considers demons to be stupid creatures with inflexible minds. Her succubus, Carrnys, was brutally beaten into submission by the warlock, and hence never speaks or acts on her own. Krakthun, her imp, cowers from its master and often escapes her presence when not called upon. Bheedhon and Charkath are two demons that have escaped her disdain, as the felhunter and voidwalker readily accept orders and are loyal as pets. =Related Links= Works by and/or related to Lilithia